Deflectors
Deflectors is the upcoming seventh episode of the second season of the ''The Orville''. When a renowned engineer joins the [[USS Orville|USS Orville]] to upgrade the Deflector Screens, a shameful secret is unearthed. Meanwhile, Kelly breaks up with her boyfriend Cassius. Through its rich use of analogy, Deflectors criticizes anti-homosexual politics in contemporary society, especially in the United States. The title refers directly to a ship's Deflector Screens and metaphorically to shielding one's life from others; while the song "The White Cliffs of Dover" by Walter Kent and Nat Burton plays frequently over the episode, a metaphor for Locar's fears and struggles during his "darkest hour." Deflectors was written by executive producer David A. Goodman, directed by creator Seth MacFarlane, and scored by composer Andrew Cottee. Kevin Daniels guest stars as the brilliant Locar and Bruce Willis makes a surprise cameo appearance as Groogen. Plot Act 1 First Officer Kelly Grayson goes on a date with her boyfriend Cassius in the Environmental Simulator, a program set in the United States in 1945. Cassius wants to go on a romantic excursion with Grayson, but she demurs because the [[USS Orville|USS Orville]] is about to enter unexplored space. Cassius takes her excuse as an insult to his job as a school teacher. Kelly realizes their relationship will not head to marriage and she breaks up with him. A Moclan shuttle arrives with Captain Rechik and a brilliant engineer Locar. While the Orville is in orbit over planet Moclus, Locar will make upgrades to the ship's Deflector Screens. After Locar leaves for Engineering, Second Officer Bortus reveals they had dated. Act 2 During upgrades, Locar asks Bortus to talk but the Second Officer refuses. Chief of Security Talla Keyali makes sure that Locar is comfortable before retiring for the night. Locar interrupts dinner between Bortus, his mate Klyden, and their son Topa, and the four spend an uncomfortably tense meal together. Locar admits he has no mate but asks to be friends with Bortus, causing Klyden to choke on his drink. The next morning, the Orville tests their upgraded, new deflectors by allowing Captain Rechik's ship to fire upon them. Production Deflectors ''was written by executive producer David A. Goodman. According to creator Seth MacFarlane, the producers wanted to deliberately position the Moclan species as problematic to highlight polarized political dialogue in the United States at the time of writing (late 2017). "Their viewpoints do not align with ours, but we have to find a way to coexist. There's nothing more relevant than that right now."Holbrook, Damian. "Seth MacFarlane & Adrianne Palicki Talk Balancing Comedy & Drama in 'The Orville' Season 2". Tucson.com. Dec. 26, 2018. The episode was given a working title of "Shields" for most of productionListings - ORVILLE, THE. ''The Futon Critic. Last accessed Jan. 24, 2019. until its name was changed in late January 2019.Listings - ORVILLE, THE. The Futon Critic. Last accessed Jan. 27, 2019. Filming of Deflectors concluded on May 11, 2018.@vintageivy. "This Assistant Costume Designer is all packed up and ready for #theorville few weeks of hiatus. #seeyounexttime #shipmetoanywherefun #willtravel #packituppackitin #behindthescenes". Instagram. May 12, 2018. Editing took place during the week of December 28.@TomCostantino. "������‍♂️ @TheOrville #TheOrville @planetary_union". Twitter. Dec. 28, 2018. Preparing to air Unlike other episodes of the season, Deflectors was rarely mentioned leading up to its premiere aside from a single remark by MacFarlane that Jessica Szohr (Talla Keyali) would play a prominent role."‘The Orville’ Season 2 To Premiere In December + More Production Updates". TrekMovie.com. May 14, 2018. The episode premiered on February 14, 2019, leapfrogging the expected air date of February 7. Reportedly, the break came at the request of the visual effects department so that more shots could be added in post-production./u/TonyQuark. "Next episode in two weeks?". Reddit. Feb. 3, 2019. Trivia * Bortus recalls serving on a ship that once docked at the planet Theta Draconis IV, home of the Thetans. In the real world, is a fourth-magnitude star in the northern circumpolar constellation of . Parallax measurements place it at an estimated distance of 68.6 light-years from Earth; going by the capability of the quantum drive ("capable of speeds exceeding 10 light-years") as revealed in Episode 1x05: Pria, it would take the just short of seven hours to cover this distance. *Locar and Talla dance to a 1941 rendition of "(There'll be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover" performed by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra. References * When John and Gordon have lunch with Talla, they reference a number of earlier episodes: ** John "humped a statue" of Mella Giffendon in ''Majority Rule''. ** Isaac amputated Gordon's leg in ''Pria''. ** Ed and Kelly were put in a Calivon zoo in ''Command Performance''. ** Bortus almost "crashed the ship 'cause of porn" in Primal Urges. Mistakes * John tells Talla, "One time I almost died 'cause I humped a statue." In reality, he faced a drastic neurological procedure on Sargus 4 known Social Correction, but not death. Cast Main Cast * Seth MacFarlane as Capt. Ed Mercer * Adrianne Palicki as Cmdr. Kelly Grayson * Peter Macon as Lt. Cmdr. Bortus * J. Lee as Lt. Cmdr. John LaMarr * Jessica Szohr as Lt. Talla Keyali * Penny Johnson Jerald as Dr. Claire Finn * Scott Grimes as Lt. Gordon Malloy * Mark Jackson as Isaac Special Guest Cast * Kevin Daniels as Locar Uncredited Special Guest Cast * Bruce Willis as Groogen Recurring Cast * Chad L. Coleman as Klyden * Chris Johnson as Cassius * Mike Henry as Dann * Norm Macdonald as Yaphit * Rachael MacFarlane as Computer Uncredited Recurring Cast * Kyra Santoro as Ensign Turco * Humberto Montalvo as Moclan Jury"Episode #2.6". IMDB. Last accessed July 8, 2018. Guest Cast * Wren T. Brown as Captain Rechik * Vivienne Rutherford as Little Girl * Yvette Tucker as Window Dancer #1 * Steve Hanneman as Window Dancer #2 Uncredited * Chase Brosamle as Newsie * Kristel Kovner as Bridge Crew Member References Category:Episodes